Neck of time: Michael Rodd urges Khalifa to the line for a long-neck win over Cornell at Caulfield on Saturday. Photo: Getty Images

Khalifa was the $2.25 favourite, but the four-year-old only won by a long neck.

Having just his sixth start, Rodd believes that Khalifa is very much a work in progress and that he and trainer Mark Kavanagh - who was on the Gold Coast at the Magic Millions Sales - were still working out the best pattern of racing that would suit the horse.

''The other day at Flemington he missed the start and that really ended his chances so I was pretty keen to get him away with the field today and as a result I found myself closer to the lead than I had planned,'' Rodd said.

''But once I got into second place I wasn't too concerned as it was all part of his learning process.

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''In hindsight now I wonder if we should ride him back and come with the one run because that looks like it suits him. I had to draw the stick pretty early in the straight and give him a couple of whacks and then I could hear the others coming and thought 'we're in trouble here'.

''But I think he's a lot better than that and we are still working him out.''

Khalifa is a highly promising horse who had tendon trouble earlier in his career and the Kavanagh stable has worked diligently to have him back up and racing.

Khalifa won from Cornell ($14), with the very honest Clinton McDonald-trained Finishing Card a head away third at $6.

Cornell unwound a strong run from the 800 metres, continuing the good day for the Anthony Freedman stable at Caulfield.

Cornell bled in the South Australian Derby in May last year, but showed that after his three-month disqualification, he had come back in strong order.

The Freedman stable was successful earlier in the day when the lightly raced Hazard scored in the Thomas North Hcp before the stable struck again when First Command was successful in the Mal Seccull Hcp later in the day.

While Anthony Freedman was also on the Gold Coast, a stable representative said that First Command came to Caulfield with group credentials and they were quietly confident the seven-year-old could once again strike form. First Command had overcome fetlock issues and wind problems that had worried the sprinter in past years.

First Command firmed late in betting from $5 into $4.60 and scored by 1¼ lengths from Rocking Force ($21), with Go The Knuckle at $3.90 close behind. Rocking Force showed a return to form after racing poorly during his last preparation.

Former South Australian sprinter Go The Knuckle found the 1000 metres far too short again on Saturday, but was doing the best work late to finish third.

The best-backed horse in the race was clearly It's Crunch Time, who firmed from $3.50 into $2.50 favourite.

After beginning fairly, It's Crunch Time struggled to stay in touch with the early leaders but did finish well in the final 300 metres but was never a serious threat of winning.

The Peter Moody-trained Diamond Glow, who impressively took out the two-year-old event at Caulfield, will remain in work and in search of black type races in the coming weeks.

With Moody also at the Gold Coast sales, stable representative Tom Brideoake said that Diamond Glow would stay in the stable to see if she could measure up as a Blue Diamond contender later in the year.

''She cost $110,000 and we've always had a good opinion of her back at the stables, but she has been a little touchy at the start as she's been slowly away in her two trials at Caulfield,'' Brideoake said.

''But she's overcome it and she overcame it again today so she's looks like having a good future. Peter wants to look for some black type with her so we'll just take it run by run.''

Diamond Glow firmed from $2.80 into $2.50 near the close of betting and proved too strong for $16 hope Self Sense, with Devil Woman ($5) in third place.